MOSCOW/KIEV, Aug 20 (NNN-TASS/UNIAN) – The following are the latest developments related to the Ukraine crisis:
A total of 2,598 Ukrainians taken captive in the Russia-Ukraine conflict have been released as a result of prisoner exchanges, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported Friday.
So far, Ukraine has carried out 48 prisoner exchanges with Russia since the beginning of the conflict, Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence, was quoted as saying.
Yusov described the process of prisoner swaps between Ukraine and Russia as an “unprecedented situation” as it is being carried out during an active phase of the conflict.
– – – –
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov said yesterday that, the West is not interested in negotiating with Moscow on the issue of Ukraine.
The West held multilateral meetings on Ukraine in Jeddah and Copenhagen, without inviting Russia, hoping to persuade developing countries to back the Ukrainian president’s peace plan, said Lavrov, in an interview with an International Affairs magazine, adding that, Moscow’s vital interests were ignored.
The top Russian diplomat said, the West sponsors constantly pushed Ukraine to escalate the situation, and that, there was no prospect for negotiations between Russia and the West on Ukraine at the moment.
– – – –
At least seven people were killed and 90 others injured yesterday, when a missile fired by Russia hit the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said.
Ten police officers and 12 children were among those injured in the attack, the ministry said in a Telegram post.
According to a statement on the ministry’s website, the missile hit a theatre in the central square of the city.– NNN-TASS/UNIAN
